


unthinkable

by tevna



Series: "you're my investment" [4]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: F/M, draeden owns my ass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-16
Updated: 2016-12-16
Packaged: 2018-09-08 23:17:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8867254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tevna/pseuds/tevna
Summary: "The next day, Derek strolled out of bed, obviously happy to have been with Braeden but annoyed at their unresolved issues. She walked out of the room in her t-shirt and sweatpants. She just finished brushing her teeth and had a spot toothpaste on her chin. Her bonnet still adorned her head and she felt like a mess. Today was the day she was going to tell Derek that she might be carrying his baby."Inspired by me mishearing the lyrics to the Alicia Keys' song "Unthinkable". Listen and you'll know why.





	

“This is bullshit.” was the first thing Clarke said, when Braeden showed up on her doorstep at half past midnight. “I liked it better when you were 4 hours away, less of an excuse to run away.”

“This is serious, Clarke.” Braeden mumbled as she let herself in, sniffling. “Derek and I got into the kids fight again.”

“Where were you?” Clarke sighed, closing her door and locking it.  

“I was at a hotel in Pleasanton for awhile. I was on my way back and just passing through. I’m  _ pissed  _ at him right now.” Braeden took off her jacket with indignation.

“How long have you been gone?” Clarke whispered, as to not wake Hayden. Braeden bit her lip nervously, plopping on Clarke’s couch.

“A day and a half.”

“Braeden! What did he do this time? Are you okay? Did he wolf out or something because--”

“Nothing! No, nothing like that. He would never. It’s just...Clarke...it’s different this time.” Braeden swallowed. “I missed my period.”

Clarke’s comically wide eyes almost made Braeden laugh but this wasn’t a laughing matter.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Braeden.” Clarke looked her up and down, incredulous.  “What the fuck are you doing here then? Why are you telling  _ me  _ as if I got you pregnant-”

“Whoa, we don’t know that yet, Clarke.”

“But still! We doesn't mean me and you. We is you and Derek. He needs to know, he’s probably stalking around the whole California area looking for you.” Braeden sighed, holding her head in her hands.

“Don’t worry, he’s not gonna find me here. He’s never coming back to Beacon Hills.” She felt kinda bad for using the one place where he swore to never come back to against him, but he’s the one who wanted to move closer to California, which wasn’t her fault.

“Is that why you came here?” Clark was getting too good at reading minds. 

“Yes.”

“That’s fucked up, Brae.”

“I know. I feel bad. Okay, but I just wanna...I just wanna take a test...and if it’s positive, I’ll go to Deaton and get it taken care of.”

“Why Deaton?”

“Marin used to be my go-to medical personnel. Also, what if it’s a werewolf?” Her heart rate spiked up (Derek always made her aware of this, so she was starting to recognize it). She looked at Clark. “I mean, he or she? Or is “it” supernaturally correct? Was that dehumanizing to half-breed werewolves?”

Clark laughed, rubbing her temples. “Shut up, Brae. What if it’s negative?”

“Well...then we fucking party.” Braeden joked.

“Braeden.” Clark looked at her sternly, placing a hand over her hand. “You’re one of my good friends. And I love you and your avoidance tactics dearly but I don’t think you understand how much you need to talk to Derek about this. You are his only family left. He is your only family left. This maybe baby...this might be the one chance you have.”

Braeden narrowed her eyes at her. “Are you kicking me out?”

* * *

 

“Where were you?” Derek’s hardened voice was the first thing Braeden heard while trying to make a Hot Pocket at 4 in the morning. She had let the microwave go off, that’s how mad she was. 

Her jaw tightened as she opted to not respond. It didn’t matter what she said anyway, she knew Derek could feel her seething even without werewolf senses.  She sniffed, trying to hold back all of her anger so she could maybe utter a few words. Derek beat her to it.

“I went to every single hotel and motel in Beacon Hills and I didn’t smell you anywhere. I couldn’t even smell straight. God, I was worried half to death, Braeden. I was going to call Melissa and Deaton and see if you were fucking hurt, or worse, dead. I was losing my mind Braeden. Where were you?” he said again, also trying not to sound angry.  He went to Beacon Hills for her? Shit, Braeden almost felt guilty for the bags under his eyes, out of character for him, but she shoved all emotion down.

“Clarke’s.” Braeden all but snarled. “I needed to clear my head.”

“Who’s he?” Derek crossed his arms. 

“ _ Valerie _ Clarke.  _ She’s  _ a deputy down at the station, she’s Hayden’s sister.” Braeden took a bite of the Hot Pocket to avoid talking to him again.

“Didn’t realize you two were friends.” He snapped under his breath.

“No. You didn’t.” She said plainly, her mouth full. “I was gonna stay there.”

“Oh yeah? Why didn’t you?”

“I wanted my Hot Pocket. Plus, I knew you’d be out here worrying about me for no reason. Didn’t want that on my conscious.” Braeden moved past him and set her motorcycle keys on the key hook by the door. She moved to go sit on the couch as Derek followed her, in shock. Braeden has been acting funny and he was more than confused.

“For no reason?” Derek said, tightness in his voice. His eyebrows furrowed, not much change from how he usually looked.  Braeden looked at him, almost daring him to counter her point. She sat on the couch, enjoying her Hot Pocket and picking up the remote. Derek looked at her, so angry that he was almost amused, as she turned on the TV and started flipping through the channels.

He waited until she settled on some stupid history show before walking over to her, snatching the remote from her and turning  off the TV. She blinked, no show of emotion on her face, and looked  up at him.

“Braeden.” He said, with a stony edge. “Do you not remember the fight we had before we left?”

“Let me finish my Hot Pocket.” Derek took the food from her hand and set it on the table. She rolled her eyes and stared up at him.

“I should’ve stayed at Clarke’s.” She said, snatching her Hot Pocket back from him.

“You didn’t though.”

“Because, Derek. I was being a burden on Clarke. And you know I like my ends tied.” She rose from the couch, never breaking eye contact. The icily way she pierced the word ‘ends’ made him feel sick to his stomach. 

“You could have called, texted, emailed. Because I hate this right now. Alright, Braeden, I hate when you do this. Why are you even being like this? All because I said--”

“I know what you said.” Braeden rolled her eyes, yet again. “And it was nice. And I said thank you. I told you that that isn’t what I’m looking for. If you want someone to have your kids, you’re gonna have to look somewhere else.”

“You slapped me.” Derek corrected. “And ran away. For 36 hours.”

“At least I didn’t shoot you, that’s what happened to the last guy I dated.” Braeden shook her head. “Now, if you let me crash here, eat my Hot Pocket, take care of my situation here, and watch some TV, I can pack up my stuff in the morning and disappear.”

“No. Fuck crashing, fuck disappearing, I don’t want that. I want to talk to you.”

“Derek--”

“No. This is bullshit. You slapped me because you got scared. You yelled at me because you didn’t want me to know that. You left because you felt it too. I’m not losing you over this pettiness, alright?” Derek glared at Braeden.

“Okay but you don’t get to make these choices for me.” Braeden shook her head, stepping closer to him as he smirked. “You don’t own me, Derek. Okay, you have no idea- none, of what I’ve been through this past  _ day _ . You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”

“Don’t give me that, Brae. How are you going to lie to a werewolf about your feelings? I know you, Braeden. If you wanted to leave, you would have left already. And even then, if you  _ still  _ want to leave, you can leave all you want. Tell me I’m wrong though. Huh? Come on, Brae, just tell me I’m wrong.”

Braeden’s tongue itched. It burned to admit defeat through silence. Derek’s gloating eyes danced in front of her. He crossed his arms and looked at her, expectantly and patiently. He could stand there all day, waiting for her to speak. And she was pissed. 

She was pissed at how he let her slap him, as if that did anything but bruise his ego. She was pissed that Clarke kicked her out after hearing what happened, half laughing.She was pissed at how he could say I love you so freely, be so trusting and so open, after being hurt so much in the past, and how much he’d grown from that pain--something she could never fucking seem to do.  She was pissed that he was right and she had to admit it because she couldn’t even lie to him. Why the fuck was she dating a human lie detector, Mr. Fucking Indestructible.

She could leave without saying anything. Pack up her stuff. Take her keys off of his key rack. Her food out of his fridge. Her arsenal. Her tampons from underneath his sink. She could leave, go to Deaton or Mellissa and get her situation fixed, say her goodbyes to California and never come back to Beacon Hills. She could start anew, reject future West Coast-based jobs or at least Beacon Hills jobs, fuck other men and forget all about Derek. She could cut ties with all her friends down at the station, Scott’s pack, Deaton, Melissa, and the Argents. 

She could.

He wouldn’t come looking for her, even though he would want to. He’d obviously survive. He’d love again. He’d find another woman (or man or werewolf, whatever) to fuck, to hold, to love...to have his children. 

Or she could grab Derek by his shirt, bring him to her level, wipe that goddamn cocky smile off of his face, toss him on the couch, straddle him, and devour him whole like her body really wanted to.  

And so, naturally, she did.

It was a frenzy of hands and clothes. Derek’s crude, large, hands went straight for her back. Braeden’s hands were all in his hair. Kisses from Derek started to trail down her neck, biting aggressively at a few spots because he was still angry. Braeden tugged at his head, almost as if she was trying to rip his hair out as she sighed appreciatively.

This was not just “I-love-you-so-much” sex nor was this just “I’m-sorry-I’ll-never-leave-you” makeup sex. This was not just hatesex nor was it making love. It was more like a combination of all and some “you-were-right” sex, which was the most underrated form of sex. It was an apology, a declaration, and a promise rolled into one hickey-filed, ass-grabbing, nail-scratching passion.

Derek continued to kiss and bite up until he reaches her ear. He was panting as he tugged at it, something he knows Braeden is particularly fond of by the way her heart speeds up and her fingers tug at his hair. 

“If you ever disappear for a day in a half again after a fight without letting me know where you’re going…” he breathed menacingly into her ear. His tone was dark and frightening and completely serious, something that excited her. Especially since Derek was usually so submissive. He punctuated his point with a slap underneath her thigh, leading her to his bedroom.

“Wait,” Derek murmured against her lips. “I need to…” he fumbled around his nightstand for a condom when Braeden shoved his hand back to her chest and squeezed his hand around her breast.

“That doesn’t matter right now.” she moaned in his ear. “Derek, please, I need you.”

And well, he wasn’t one to be told twice.

* * *

 

The next day, Derek strolled out of bed, obviously happy to have been with Braeden but annoyed at their unresolved issues. She walked out of the room in her t-shirt and sweatpants. She just finished brushing her teeth and had a spot toothpaste on her chin. Her bonnet still adorned her head and she felt like a mess. Today was the day she was going to tell Derek that she might be carrying his baby.

“Hello.” she croaked, leaning over the counter as she stretched.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Derek said smiling like an idiot. He poured some of her favorite wine in a glass, something he knew she liked to do after morning rounds of sex. Coming around the counter towards her with glass in hand, he kissed her forehead and wiped her chin. Braeden bit her lip and hesitated, looking at the glass (which she knew was meant for her, his considerate ass).

“Derek.” She sighed, almost backing out. “We need to talk.”

“Oh no.” Derek said, brown eyes searching her own for anything wrong. He took a half-step closer to her, and placed his hands on her arms. And she started to feel guilty all over again. She didn’t deserve this kind of attention, no one should be worrying about her this much. Not that she missed being a free agent or anything, it’s just that not disappointing anybody was one of its charms.

“I think I’m pregnant.”

Derek dropped the wine glass in his hand, catching it before it hit the floor, but still spilling some wine. 

“Brae...that’s not funny.” Derek looked at her for a second before turning away from her. She caught his hand and made him look at her.

“Derek. I want you to listen to my heartbeat.” she said quietly, grabbing his hand to reassure him. She heard the glass being placed on the counter before Derek placed his hands on her face, pressing against the pulse point on her neck.

“Braeden…” he said, unsure.

“Just listen.” she insisted so he did it. He focused into her heartbeat while she started to speak.

“I needed to take a pregnancy test...like a month ago” She said. “That’s why I left. And why I went to Beacon Hills, to see Deaton because I just...I didn’t know if werewolves made false positives or negatives or something like that. So I’ve just been...waiting. And I’m sorry I picked that fight with you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just...I might be pregnant and you want a family so bad and I’m a shit girlfriend so how I could be a mom is beyond me and...”Braeden felt tears well up in her eyes, so she closed them and looked down.

“Braeden...look at me.” Obeying instantly, she opened her eyes. Derek’s eyes were also glossy but not spilling over. “I do want a family. And I want one with you. Give me daughters that look just like you any day. Sons that look like you. Whatever you can give me. But only if that’s what you want too.”

Braeden looked into his eyes, wide and open...honest and clear and it was like they were meeting at the first time. A tear spilled over and she tried to blink it away. Derek put his hand on her face and wiped at it with his thumb. 

“If you are pregnant right now and you don’t want to have this baby, I could never, ever, let you have it just for my sake. I’m sorry you had to go through this alone. And I’m sorry I didn’t make you feel like you could come to me and tell me.I’m with you, every step of the way.” His voice choked on the last part of his little speech and she was so relieved.

“I love you so much.”Braeden was so grateful to know this man, for all his imperfections, his loveable black moods, his amazing capacity to love and to love hard. 

And he kissed her. And it wasn’t a brutal crushing fuck-me kiss, it wasn’t an I-love-you kiss. This wasn’t a you’re-the-mother-of-my-child kiss or a let’s-get-married kiss. This kiss was tender, and soft, This kiss was an I’ll-support-you-forever kiss. And she knew. And she was so grateful for that. For this moment. And for Clarke for kicking her out.

* * *

 

The day he hears the second heartbeat, he’s in a gas station somewhere in Phoenix, Arizona. 

On the long nights, when her job takes them farther than they can go in 24 hours, Derek always felt tired. They had a routine set up: basically they ditched Braeden’s motorcycle and started to  drive Derek’s car. Derek always drove first and she loved it because he always knew the exact moment when Braeden was just about to suggest that they stop and eat. They don’t like the quiet desperation of McDonald’s parking lots but at 4 am, they have to do what they can. 

This time they were on their way back from Phoenix.  It wasn’t one of their farthest trips so Derek didn’t really mind driving the full way, especially since Braeden tended to stay awake after they eat. In the passenger seat, Braeden was always a backseat driver because she was such a sucker for road rage. She was used to her motorcycle taking her wherever she needed to go but she really liked being able to sleep and talk to somebody else so she didn’t get lonely. Derek looked over at her as she opened her bag and he couldn’t help but smile. She ate a Big Mac like a queen and he loved her for it. She looked over at Derek and watched him pump gas for a second. 

“Where are we?” she grunted through meat and cheese. She offered him a bite and he took it.

“We’re by Sedona. We just passed it.” Derek said, peeking at his GPS. “Put your seatbelt on.”

Braeden made a noise of amused indignation as she took a swig of her sweet tea and took another bite of her sandwich. In the morning, she’s going to make him workout for this but in this moment, she does not care. Derek yawned quietly as he watched the gas fill up. Braeden’s mind went into action.

She loved this man a lot. He had become her go-to, her partner in crime, someone who understood what she was about. 

“Hey,” she murmured. “Let me drive for awhile.”

“Brae, we’re almost there.”

“Yeah, I know, but you need to sleep too. I don’t want you swerving so we die before we ever even reach California, you know.” Braeden sat up, giving him very little options. “Come on, it’s my turn, let me drive.” 

He was about to respond no again when he heard it. The faint thump of a heartbeat that was not hers. It was methodical and slow, steady and there. Derek’s eyes widened and snapped up to hers, and she had no idea. 

She blinked, screwing up her face in the most adorable way in pure confusion as she turned around to look behind her. “Derek, what the fuck are you looking at?”

He didn’t know how to word this. He didn’t even know if this was possible, if this was even real. But he swooped around the side of the car, open her door and held her for a little bit, as the 2nd heartbeat got stronger and he started ignoring her confusion and her complaints that he was crushing her fries.

“I think you’re pregnant.” he whispered. 

“Hey mister!” a woman’s shrill voice shouted. “Your tank’s full!”

She didn’t react. Derek had rushed to finish the gas pump, and she had stayed frozen in place for a second and almost dropped her sweet tea. Then she turned into the car, closed the door and put her head in her lap and laughed. She had no idea how she was going to feel.

She was quiet on the drive back, thoughtful and sleepy. 

He placed one hand on the steering wheel, the other on the head of her seat. He couldn’t stop looking out for the tiny heartbeat, trying to catch irregularities or  imagine who it could belong to. Braeden had one hand on her stomach, hoping the baby liked Big Macs...and supernatural hideaways...and guns...and the fact that he or she was going to have 2 parents that could not possibly love him or her more.


End file.
